Fans urge Rangers transfer raid

Rangers manager Walter Smith is being urged to bolster his squad to appease fans angered by the sale of defender Carlos Cuellar to Aston Villa.

The 26-year-old sealed his £7.8m move to Villa Park on Tuesday.

Rangers Supporters' Trust spokesman David Edgar told BBC Scotland that fans felt the club was asset-stripping.

Meanwhile, assistant manager Ally McCoist has said the Champions League exit at the hands of FBK Kaunas was the lowest point of his coaching career.

Cuellar left Rangers after Villa invoked a £7.8m exit clause in the player's contract, enabling him to complete his move to the English Premier League club.

The Spaniard was a fans' favourite at Ibrox following his move from Spanish side Osasuna last summer and he won both the Clydesdale Bank SPL and Scottish Football Writers' Association player of the year awards.

Every saleable asset of the past decade has been sold

David EdgarRangers Supporters' Trust

Rangers fans are unhappy that the defender has been sold a week into the new SPL season.

"There's palpable anger against the club and the way it's being run," said Edgar.

"I think this is a sign of a greater malaise at the club. There's a feeling that Rangers are a bit of a rudderless ship and that this seems to happen consistently.

"The best players seem to go. Every saleable asset of the past decade has been sold."

Ally McCoist says defeat by Kaunas was a bitter blow

Rangers have been linked with Cardiff City defender Glenn Loovens and the Ibrox club brought in Madjid Bougherra from Charlton for £2.5m.

But Edgar said the supporters expected the squad to be bolstered further before the transfer window closes.

"Walter Smith will be concentrating on getting players in and that's exactly what he needs to do," he said.

"But there's no short-term solution. The fans are angry and even a couple of players being delivered before Saturday isn't going to change that."

Rangers declined to comment on the RST's views.

Meanwhile, McCoist says the coaching staff have been working hard to improve morale in the squad following the Champions League defeat by Kaunas.

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